Rebound.

At the beginning of the decade, few fans held their breath over what team would be crowned champion of college basketball. Many fans — and even a few sportswriters — complained that the winning ways of the John Wooden-coached UCLA Bruins had robbed the season and the NCAA championship tournament of any drama. But Wooden eventually retired and the Bruins' level of play returned to earth. Great teams led by brilliant and colorful — if not slightly deranged — coaches emerged in the Midwest, and in 1979 two superstars faced off against each other in the NCAA finals, giving birth to the media-hyped carnival atmosphere that has made the tournament one of the greatest events in American sports. Larry Bird and Earvin ("Magic") Johnson in the next decade went on to become pro basketball's saviors, but they left behind a college game that had achieved new heights in...